Department for Transport

Aviation: Safety

Lord Brabazon of Tara: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the 31 safety recommendations made by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in its report on the accident to Boeing 737-236 series 1, G-BGJC at Manchester International Airport on 22 August 1985 remain extant, or have been improved, within current UK or EU aircraft airworthiness requirements or operational procedures; and what specific procedures are in place consistently to monitor the implementation of all of those AAIB recommendations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: After detailed analysis of the 31 recommendations made by the AAIB to the CAA, 28 were implemented and another was partially implemented. The CAA's initial response to the AAIB’s recommendations, including any resulting changes to requirements or operational procedures, were published in their publication CAP593 ‘Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) Recommendations: Progress Report 1990’.Recommendations are not tracked once implemented as routine regulatory oversight arrangements will then apply.Changes to legal requirements or guidance introduced as a result of a recommendation may be superseded as aircraft design, technology and legislation develops.

Railways: Lancashire

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what improvements will take place under the new Northern Rail franchise on the Blackpool South and Preston to Colne service, other than the replacement of the Pacer trains.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Preston-Blackpool South will get a Sunday service all year round. At present the line shuts down for a period in the winter, but from Dec 2017 at least an alternate-hours service will operate all year round. Colne-Preston will get a full hourly Sunday service – twice as many trains on Sunday compared to now, and with the entire Northern fleet being refurbished, passengers will notice rolling stock improvements across the franchise.Accrington and Blackburn stations will become Northern Connect stations so will be staffed from 6am to 10pm (if they don’t already have staffing hours longer than this), with WiFi and catering outlets. All Northern stations with more than 10 passengers per day will have ticket machines, real-time information and help points.Beyond that there is a franchise wide, £38m investment in bringing stations up to standard, with benefits for many stations, which includes new platform seating, replacement shelters, new waiting rooms and toilets, and customer information screens.

Rolling Stock: North of England

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is a requirement of the new Northern Rail franchise that the Pacer trains that will be withdrawn from service in the North of England will be scrapped or whether they can be redeployed elsewhere.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There is no such requirement in the new Northern Franchise Agreement. As the Pacers are owned by two Rolling Stock Companies, any future use is for them to decide.

London-Exeter Railway Line

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the annual amount spent on upgrading the railway tracks and stations between Salisbury and Exeter between 2015 and 2020 will increase or decrease in real terms.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Network Rail currently has no funded strategic plans for significant upgrading on this route. However, it advises that it is working closely with local stakeholders, including Local Enterprise Partnerships and local authorities, to work up potential schemes that could support growth and meet the needs of passengers.

Aviation: Sierra Leone

Baroness Hayman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 26 November (HL3704), whether they have completed their review of the possibility of resuming direct flights to Sierra Leone, and if so, whether they are currently processing any permissions for flights to begin.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has now lifted the restriction on direct, scheduled, commercial air services between Sierra Leone and the UK. The Department is aware of one company that has applied for, and been issued, a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit by the Civil Aviation Authority to operate services between Sierra Leone and the UK.

Cars

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of driverless car technology.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government recognises the transformative potential that Connected and Automated Vehicles technologies have for mobility and our transport system, and the significant opportunities that exist for UK industry in their development and commercialisation. The Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles was established in July 2015 between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Transport, to lead on this agenda.

Eurostar

Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the building developments in Stratford, the Olympic Park, and the Lower Lea Valley, what practical steps they are taking to ensure that Eurostar stops at Stratford International in future.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I recognise the international importance of the HS1 network in allowing high-speed rail services from London to reach Europe, whilst noting that no international services currently serve Stratford International station.Eurostar, in which the government recently sold its 40% stake, accesses the HS1 network on an open access basis and is not subject to the terms of a franchise agreement or a contract let by government. Government has no power to direct or specify that Eurostar stops at Stratford International station. A decision made by Eurostar not to serve Stratford International would be as a result of commercial imperatives and priorities, for example, the potential revenue derived from customers using the station or the increased journey time which a further stop would involve. It would not be appropriate for government to interfere with that decision-making process.

Railways: Tickets

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they still plan to progress the South East Flexible Ticketing programme; and if not, why not.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The South East Flexible Ticketing (SEFT) programme is proceeding with contractual obligations for five train operators who run commuter services into London. Together, these five train operators cover 73% of the annual season ticket market. We are discussing with the Rail Delivery Group and the remaining train operators the best and quickest way to deliver smart and more flexible ticketing for commuters in the south east.

Railways: Tickets

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent to date on planning and developing the South East Flexible Ticketing programme.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: To date, £37.64m has been spent on the South East Flexible Ticketing programme. This has facilitated investment by five train operators accounting for 73% of the annual season ticket market in the south east. Commuters on c2c and GTR can already use smartcards on their journeys into London and within the Transport for London boundary. Abellio Greater Anglia and South West Trains will follow early in 2016 and Southeastern later in the year.

Airports: South East

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to make a final decision about airport expansion in the South East.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 10 December, the Government accepted the Airports Commission’s case for expansion in the South East. We agree with the Commission’s shortlist of three options, all of which it concluded were viable. The Government will now conclude a package of further work by the summer, and will ensure that the timetable for delivering additional capacity set out by the Commission does not alter.

Railways: North of England

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the status of the Northern Powerhouse rail network, what schemes are incorporated into its remit, what budget it has allocated to it and by whom, what the governance structure is, and what powers it has.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The government and Transport for the North (TfN) published the Northern Transport Strategy in March 2015, setting out the vision for the Northern Powerhouse Rail network: radically improved journey times and frequencies between the major cities of the North, building on the substantial improvements to rail in the North to which the government is already committed.In November, the government and Transport for the North published the Northern Transport Strategy: Autumn Report, providing a progress update on the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) network.The government has also committed a total of £50 million of funding over this parliament to Transport for the North, to help it develop plans to transform the North’s rail connections and build a single regional economy.Work on Northern Powerhouse Rail is governed jointly by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for the North as set out in Principles for Governing the Relationship Between TfN and DfT.

Railways: North of England

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timescale for the delivery of the HS3 rail scheme, and what budget is allocated to it.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Since March, the government and Transport for the North have undertaken significant work to develop options for transformational improvements to the North’s rail network; building on committed upgrades in the North of England and integrating with HS2.By March 2016 we will conduct an initial prioritisation of options to focus further work and inform the development of an appropriate timeline for implementation.The government has also established a new £300 million Transport Development Fund, which following advice from the National Infrastructure Commission, could support the development of proposals such as Northern Powerhouse Rail (HS3).

Railways: North of England

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made for the electrification of the South TransPennine route between Sheffield and Manchester.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Network Rail is currently updating its national electrification strategy taking into account Sir Peter Hendy’s Report on Network Rail’s 2014-2019 rail enhancements portfolio and the recommendations of the North of England Electrification Task Force. The Task Force placed the South TransPennine route in the second tier of lines it recommended for future electrification. The updated strategy will be subject to public consultation during 2016 and inform the Government’s Rail Investment Strategy for 2019-2024.

Electric Vehicles

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of road vehicles in the UK they expect to be wholly electrically powered by 2030.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has a commitment that nearly every car and van will be zero emission by 2050. Already over 1% of new cars are ultra low emission and we expect uptake to continue to rise over time consistent with this goal. We do not provide interim forecasts or targets as this market is now moving so rapidly. We will spend over £600m 2015-16 and 2020-21 to put the UK on track to meet our ambitious long term target.

Railways: North of England

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 10 December (HL Deb, col GC213), whether HS3 has now been subsumed into the Northern Powerhouse rail network.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Northern Powerhouse Rail network develops the HS3 concept to offer a vision for radically improved journey times and service frequencies between the major cities of the North, building on the substantial rail improvements to which the government is already committed.In November, the government and Transport for the North published the Northern Transport Strategy: Autumn Report, providing a progress update on the Northern Powerhouse Rail network.

Ministry of Defence

Tornado Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Tornado aircraft (1) the RAF possess which are (a) available for operation, (b) maintained at each of the various defined levels, and (c) in storage; and (2) the RAF intend to fund for each of the above categories in each of the years from 2015–18.

Earl Howe: The information is not available in the format requested. The number of aircraft available varies day-to-day according to normal fleet management activities.I am withholding further information on the number of serviceable aircraft available for operations on the grounds of safeguarding national security.

Nuclear Submarines

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend, before the Scottish general election, to table a debate in the House of Commons on the decision to build the Vanguard-class replacement.

Earl Howe: Her Majesty's Government has confirmed it will hold a debate in Parliament on the principle of Continuous at Sea Deterrence and our plans for the Successor submarine. A decision on when it will be held will be taken in due course.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider providing a 24-hour mental health helpline for serving soldiers.

Earl Howe: Combat Stress provides a free 24-hour service for the entire military community (Service personnel, veterans, and their families) when seeking confidential and safe help and advice about Service-related mental health issues. The MOD is the single biggest contributor of funding to Combat Stress.In addition, the MOD has a contract with the Big White Wall, a 24-hour online community which provides safe, anonymous support to anyone struggling with mental health issues. It is free for all serving personnel, veterans, and their families.There are no plans for MOD to provide an additional mental health helpline.

Middle East: Military Intervention

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance air vehicles from the RAF’s inventory have been deployed over Iraq and Syria in the last three months.

Earl Howe: In the last three months the RAF has deployed Sentinel and Airseeker aircraft and the REAPER MQ-9 Remotely Piloted Air System over both Iraq and Syria. In addition, Tornado GR4s have deployed over Iraq and Syria fitted with the Raptor tactical reconnaissance pod.

Syria: Military Intervention

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will release details of each weapons release over Syria so that they can be correlated against any reports of civilian casualties.

Earl Howe: As at 18 December 2015, the UK had released 21 weapons against targets in Syria since the vote on airstrikes. There have been no reports of civilian casualties as a result.The weapons have all been Paveway IV guided bombs from RAF Tornado GR4 and Typhoon aircraft. The UK released six Paveway IV on 2 December, one on 3 December, eight on 4 December and six on 6 December. These have all been against targets in the Daesh-controlled Omar oilfield in eastern Syria.We will not release the exact location and timing of each strike as this could compromise our operational capabilities. All UK airstrikes are conducted in accordance with Rules of Engagement and International Humanitarian Law. Targets are selected with the utmost care; the risks of collateral damage or civilian casualties are assessed and mitigated based on intelligence and the use of precision guided weapons.

Armed Forces: Muslims

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether arrangements are in place to vet Muslim recruits to the armed forces; if so, what are those arrangements, and if not, whether they will set them up.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in the last four years, how many British Muslims have joined the armed forces, and how many they estimate have gone independently to fight in Syria and North Africa.

Earl Howe: All candidates joining the Armed Forces are subject to exactly the same vetting procedures applicable to their chosen branch or trade, irrespective of religion or ethnicity.There is no requirement for personnel to declare their religion. However, the numbers of British personnel who joined the UK Regular Armed Forces and self-declared their religion as Muslim in the last four financial years is set out below. The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any British Muslim members of the UK Regular Armed Forces going Absent Without Official Leave to fight in Syria or North Africa in the last four years.Intake to the UK Regular Forces of personnel with a British Nationality declaring a Muslim religion, by Financial Year2011-122012-132013-142014-1510203020Note: figures show intake to UK Regular Forces, both trained and untrained, which comprises new entrants, re-entrants, direct trained entrants (including professionally qualified Officers), intake to the Army from the Gurkhas and intake from the reserves. They exclude all movements within the Regular Forces; including flows from untrained to trained strength, transfers between Services and flows from Ranks to Officer due to promotion. All numbers are rounded.

Leader of the House of Lords

House of Lords: Debates

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask the Leader of the House whether she now considers the advisory time limit on speeches in debates should be compulsory, and if so, what recommendations she will bring forward for enforcement of the limit.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: It is already open to the House to time-limit debates in the Chamber or Grand Committee to a specific number of hours, with attendant compulsory time limits for speakers (Companion to the Standing Orders, Paras. 6.65-6.66). As this facility is already available, I do not plan to bring forward additional proposals.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Turkey: Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take steps to ensure that Turkey does not repatriate any genuine refugees, following the recent EU–Turkey financial agreement.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK cooperates closely with Turkey on migration and Turkey has consistently confirmed that their borders remain open to genuine refugees. We commend Turkey’s generosity in hosting over 2.2 million refugees from the crisis in Syria and Iraq. Enhanced cooperation between the EU and Turkey is critical to resolving the current migration crisis. At the EU-Turkey summit on 29 November, the EU agreed €3billion of additional support to Turkey to help ease its refugee burden and prevent further irregular migration to the EU. Turkey and the EU also agreed to activate the migration action plan. As part of this action plan, Turkey committed to accelerate procedures in order to readmit smoothly irregular migrants who are not in need of international protection, whilst ensuring that vulnerable people continue to be identified and taken care of.

Republic of Ireland: Common Travel Area

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is their intention that the Common Travel Area between the UK and the Republic of Ireland would continue if the UK ceased membership of the EU.

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether there would be new trade barriers between the UK and the Republic of Ireland in the event of the UK ceasing to be a member of the EU.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), believes Britain’s best future lies within a reformed EU. He is focused on addressing the concerns of the British people and is confident that the right agreement can be reached.

Middle East: Royal Visits

Lord Sherbourne of Didsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which countries in the Middle East have never received a formal visit from a member of the Royal Family.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I can confirm that every country in the Middle East has received a visit from a member of the Royal Family.

Serbia: Kosovo

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the governments of Serbia and Kosovo about implementing the agreements already reached in negotiations under EU auspices.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government is a strong supporter of Serbia and Kosovo’s respective EU paths, which are dependent on full normalisation of relations between the two countries. Progress requires full implementation of all agreements reached, including the Brussels Agreement of 19 April 2013, and is managed through the EU facilitated Dialogue. We make regular representations to encourage both governments to fully implement all agreements. Following a successful Dialogue meeting in August, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), issued a press statement on 26 August urging both Serbia and Kosovo to maintain this positive momentum. The Foreign Secretary also made clear that completing the implementation of all their agreements will be an important step towards normalising relations between the two countries and increasing regional stability and security.

Cabinet Office

Local Government: Procurement

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to ensure that local authorities do not enter into contracts with companies that also work in countries that they believe are breaking, or have broken, international law and the Geneva Convention.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The new Public Contracts Regulations 2015 impose a legal obligation on public authorities when awarding contracts above certain thresholds to treat EU and GPA suppliers equally. Decisions on sanctions for breaking international law and the Geneva Convention are for the Government's foreign policy, and it is inappropriate and illegal for local authorities in some cases to prejudice suppliers on the basis of their "beliefs". This policy has been in place for many years under successive governments.

Political Parties: Finance

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce a limit on the size of personal, or company, donations to political parties.

Lord Bridges of Headley: We remain committed to negotiating a comprehensive cross-party reform agreement, including donations from all funding sources including trade unions.

Statutory Instruments

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 3 December (HL3732), when were the three occasions on which the House withheld its agreement to an affirmative instrument between World War II and 2010, and which instrument was not agreed to on each occasion.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The three occasions on which the House withheld its agreement to an affirmative instrument prior to 2010 were on 18 June 1968; 22 February 2000; and 28 March 2007. The instruments not agreed to were the Southern Rhodesia (United Nations Sanctions) Order 1968; the Greater London Authority (Election Expenses) Order 2000; and the Gambling (Geographical Distribution of Casino Premises Licences) Order 2007, respectively.

House of Lords Composition

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 12 November (HL3121), how many members there were in the House of Lords of (1) the government party, or parties, and (2) the official opposition party, in each year since 1997.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: For each of the sessions requested, I have set out below the number of those peers eligible to take part in the work of the House of Lords sitting on the Government benches and those of the benches of HM Official Opposition.YearGoverning Party/PartiesHM Official Opposition97-98Lab: 176Con: 47898-99Lab: 193Con: 48499-00Lab: 201Con: 23200-01Lab: 195Con: 22501-02Lab: 190Con: 21702-03Lab: 185Con: 21003-04Lab: 201Con: 20204-05Lab: 199Con: 20505-06Lab: 212Con: 20806-07Lab: 217Con: 20207-08Lab: 214Con: 19908-09Lab: 212Con: 18909-10Lab: 211Con: 18510-12Con: 214 Lib Dem: 90Lab: 23512-13Con: 212 Lib Dem: 89Lab: 22213-14Con: 220 Lib Dem: 99Lab: 21814-15Con: 226 Lib Dem: 103Lab: 21615-16 (as at 21/12/15)Con: 251Lab: 213

Senior Civil Servants: Ethnic Groups

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that BAME civil servants struggle more than their white counterparts to reach senior positions in Whitehall.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government is committed to ensuring a diverse Civil Service that is representative of Modern Britain at all levels.In 2014, we commissioned external research undertaken by Ethnic Dimension to identify the barriers to progression experienced by talented BAME Civil Servants. The findings informed the Talent Action Plan Refresh published in March 2015 outlining clear actions to develop a greater pool of diverse talent.Specific actions include a commitment to expand the Positive Action Pathway programme, designed to identify and develop talented BAME employees to secure promotion.We also plan to introduce Accelerate, an ambitious new talent programme to boost development of the pipeline for future leaders for key Director and Director General roles.

Advisory Services: Finance

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of the end of the Advice Services Transition Fund in December 2015.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The fund is a Big Lottery Fund programme, to which Government contributed 50% of the budget. As the fund comes to a close, the Big Lottery Fund will be monitoring how organisations have met their agreed outcomes and will be supporting the dissemination of learning amongst the ASTF partnerships and beyond.

Census

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the context of the 2021 Census topic consultation, they will consider including a question on the date when persons who were not born as UK citizens acquired UK citizenship.

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of respondents to the 2021 Census topic consultation requested that the place of birth be included in the 2021 Census.

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to instruct the Office for National Statistics to require individuals to enter their full names in 2021 Census returns.

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to discuss with the Office for National Statistics the possibility of including in the 2021 Census a provision for respondents to give details about family relationships, marriages and children, similar to information collected in the 1911 Census.

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to require the Office for National Statistics to identify in the 2021 Census the number of people living in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland who (1) understand, and (2) are proficient in, the use of the Welsh language.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA referral letter
(PDF Document, 139.05 KB)

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Apprentices: Taxation

Lord Rowlands: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis, and by which process, the relevant shares of the proposed Apprenticeship Levy will be distributed to the devolved administrations.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We are working with the devolved administrations to ensure fair and transparent funding and, as far as possible, to develop a system for administering the levy which complements the skills and apprenticeship policies of each of the devolved administrations. We are committed to doing all we can to make the system work for employers wherever they are in the UK.

Tickets: Sales

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the activities of ticket resale websites.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: An independent Review has been established to consider consumer protection measures in relation to online ticket resales and will report by 26 May 2016.

Students: Loans

Baroness Burt of Solihull: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of changes in student loan repayments to freeze the £21,000 income threshold cap on students and graduates from lower and middle incomes.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 15 December 2015.The correct answer should have been:

The budget for the Tradeshow Access Programme was £11.05M in 2014/15 and the estimated spend in 2015/16 is £10.25M.For 2016/17 and beyond, UKTI will be reviewing how the Tradeshow Access Programme is aligned with other Export Services as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement. It is therefore not possible to confirm the budget at this stage.I will respond positively to a request for a meeting with the Sponsors Alliance subject to diary commitments.The Government published an Equality Analysis of the impact of freezing the student loan repayment threshold on 25th November.All borrowers whose earnings are above the repayment threshold will pay around £6 per week more (in nominal terms) by 2020/21. Those individuals with the lowest lifetime earnings will be affected the least, because they will either never earn above the earnings threshold, or will only do so for a more limited period of the loan’s life.The full Equality Analysis is attached, but can also be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479559/bis-15-635-freezing-student-loan-repayment-threshold-equality-analysis.pdf



Equality Analysis 
(PDF Document, 705.75 KB)

Lord Maude of Horsham: The budget for the Tradeshow Access Programme was £11.05M in 2014/15 and the estimated spend in 2015/16 is £10.25M.For 2016/17 and beyond, UKTI will be reviewing how the Tradeshow Access Programme is aligned with other Export Services as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review settlement. It is therefore not possible to confirm the budget at this stage.I will respond positively to a request for a meeting with the Sponsors Alliance subject to diary commitments.The Government published an Equality Analysis of the impact of freezing the student loan repayment threshold on 25th November.All borrowers whose earnings are above the repayment threshold will pay around £6 per week more (in nominal terms) by 2020/21. Those individuals with the lowest lifetime earnings will be affected the least, because they will either never earn above the earnings threshold, or will only do so for a more limited period of the loan’s life.The full Equality Analysis is attached, but can also be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/479559/bis-15-635-freezing-student-loan-repayment-threshold-equality-analysis.pdf



Equality Analysis 
(PDF Document, 705.75 KB)

Climate Change: Arctic

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that UK scientific institutions have the funds to collaborate with those in Arctic countries to monitor and predict the melting of permafrost and the release of methane; and what practical steps are being considered to minimise the environmental impact of the melting of permafrost and the release of methane in the Arctic.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The UK is funding and participating in a number of projects that will improve our knowledge of the Arctic, for example the current NERC Arctic Research Programme, the European JPI (Joint Programming Initiative) Climate collaboration between 16 European countries to coordinate jointly their climate research, and NERC’s Discovery Science grant programme. The UK also continues to invest in infrastructure to support polar science such as the new £200m polar research vessel.The best practical way to limit the melting of permafrost and the subsequent release of methane is to keep the rise in global temperatures as low as possible. At the recent United Nations conference on climate change in Paris, the world took an important step forward with an unprecedented number of countries agreeing to a deal to limit global temperature rises.

Department for International Development

Refugees

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of refugees in (1) Europe, (2) the Middle East, and (3) North Africa, and what those figures are broken down by country.

Baroness Verma: As of 8th December the UN estimate that more than 920,000 refugees and migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe this year. Almost 770,000 have arrived in Greece, and a further 150,000 have arrived in Italy. A large number of refugees remain in the Middle East. The most accurate figures are available for Syrian refugees, of whom there currently are 2,181,293 in Turkey, 1,070,189 in Lebanon, 632,762 in Jordan, and 244,527 in Iraq. Additionally, 2,117,361 Palestinian refugees are currently registered in Jordan, and 452,669 in Lebanon. It is also estimated that North Africa is host to 234,901 refugees, the majority of whom are in Egypt (187,753) and Libya (36,984).

Israel: Gaza

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the humanitarian impact of increasing the capacity of the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Israel and Gaza; and whether they have plans to discuss that issue with the government of Israel.

Baroness Verma: The biggest impediments to Palestinian economic progress are the Israeli-imposed movement and access restrictions. The current movement and access restrictions relating to Gaza are leading to a stagnated economy and worsening situation for the people living there. An improved economy is not only essential for the people of Gaza, but is firmly in Israel’s security interests. We have consistently called on Israel to improve movement and access into and out of Gaza, including extending operating times at Kerem Shalom and will continue to do so.

Turkey: Yazidis

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussion, if any, they have had with the government of Turkey and the UNHCR about urgent plans for the return home of Yazidi refugees, currently in a camp near Diyarbakir.

Baroness Verma: The UK Government is not aware of plans to return Yezidi refugees to their homes from Diyarbakir. The UK works with the Government of Turkey, the United Nations and the international community to support the rights of all minorities.

St Helena: Airports

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will announce the new opening date for the airport on St Helena in order to bring certainty to investors in the island and to enable potential visitors to make appropriate travel plans from January 2016.

Baroness Verma: St Helena Government recently announced that subject to final certification and operational readiness, St Helena Airport is expected to be accepting commercial flights before the planned official opening of the Airport in May 2016. They plan to issue further information at the end of January 2016.

St Helena: Airports

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the official opening of the airport on St Helena.

Baroness Verma: The St Helena Government is responsible for planning the official opening of the airport on St Helena.

Greek Islands: Humanitarian Aid

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent aid agencies, including both UN and voluntary organisations, are working in the Greek islands nearest to Turkey; and whether they plan to encourage those agencies to do further work.

Baroness Verma: Meeting the humanitarian needs of the huge numbers of refugees arriving in Greece this year is a major challenge. The UK has so far provided £4.5 million to trusted partners working in Greece in support of the Greek authorities. With our funding, the Red Cross is providing assistance and emergency first aid to refugees and migrants arriving on the beaches. We are also providing assistance through the International Organisation for Migration and UNHCR, who are delivering essential coordination, reception and registration support, direct physical assistance, and protection services for the most vulnerable people. UK support is also being delivered via a consortium of NGOs led by the Start Network, and via the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, through which we have provided in-kind assistance of blankets, sleeping bags and tents.The scale of the response by aid agencies has been impressive but we continue to push for greater coordination, both between agencies and with the Greek government. We are holding discussions with major agencies and NGOs to assess the best way to do this and to plan effectively for 2016. We remain committed to responding in the most effective and comprehensive manner. DFID officials have also recently travelled to Greece to assess the current situation on the ground and how to further scale up support. We will consider further support as needs emerge.

India: Overseas Aid

Lord Rana: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the humanitarian impact of cutting aid to India from 2016.

Baroness Verma: We selected this three year transition period specifically so that we could responsibly fulfil commitments to existing financial aid projects and ensure government partners were able to build the capacity needed to meet development needs after our support ends.

India: Overseas Aid

Lord Rana: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the future after 2016 of existing projects currently funded by UK aid in India.

Baroness Verma: An exit and sustainability plan has been agreed between DFID and partners for every closing programme. In November 2012, we announced we would end our programme of financial aid grants to India by the end of 2015. That is exactly what we are doing. We set this three year transition period so that we could responsibly fulfil commitments to existing financial grant aid projects – all of which will be completed by end of 2015 – after which we will only provide support in the form of private sector expertise and technical assistance

India: Overseas Aid

Lord Rana: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of India regarding the termination of UK aid to India in 2016.

Baroness Verma: In November 2012, the Secretary of State for International Development announced the UK would end our programme of financial aid grants to India by the end of 2015. That is exactly what we are doing. We will responsibly fulfil commitments to existing financial grant aid projects – all of which will be completed by end of 2015 – after which we will only provide support in the form of private sector expertise and technical assistance.The post-2015 transition plan was agreed in 2012 following extensive consultation with the Government of India (GoI), and has been reviewed annually with the GoI, including most recently in October 2015.

India: Overseas Aid

Lord Rana: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the efficacy of UK aid to India in 2015.

Baroness Verma: The UK can be proud of the results that its aid to India continues to achieve. For example, during the five years to 2015, UK aid has ensured that over 3.5 million pregnant women and children under 5 are covered by nutrition programmes in eight low income states; that over 1.3 million people have sustainable access to improved sanitation; and that over 600,000 additional people have access to low carbon energy.

Department for Education

Marriage: Northern Ireland

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Faulks on 18 November (HL Deb, col 132), whether they have commended the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 to the Northern Ireland Executive; and if not, what are the reasons behind the decision not to do so.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The UK Government has demonstrated its commitment tomarriagefor same sex couples by introducing it for England and Wales, and haswelcomedits introduction in other jurisdictions.The UK Government recognises and respects the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland. The constitutional arrangements in place mean that any decision to extend marriage to same-sex couples in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Employment: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to promote gender, orientation and ethnic diversity in the workplace, in particular in the architecture profession.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: This government is committed to promoting equality in all professions, including architecture. The Equality Act 2010 provides a strong legislative framework to prevent and tackle discrimination, harassment, and victimisation in the workplace. The government also funds the Equality and Advisory Support Service, which provides an accessible and inclusive source of advice for people who may have been discriminated against.We have committed to closing the gender pay gap in a generation. We will soon require larger employers to publish the difference between the average pay and bonuses of their male and female employees. We are also tackling the root causes of gender pay gap with the introduction of Shared Parental Leave, the extension of flexible working and the offer of 30 hours free childcare.The government is proud of its record to support LGB&T people and the UK continues to be recognised as a leader in this area. However, we know there is more to do which is why we have recently published guidance for employers on the recruitment and retention of trans employees in the workplace.Finally, the Prime Minister has underlined the government’s commitment to increasing racial diversity in the workplace in his 2020 Vision, in which he made a commitment to increase BME employment by 20% by 2020.

Females: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding in the recent World Bank survey, Women, Business and the Law 2016, that 155 out of 173 countries, including the UK, still have at least one law impeding women’s economic opportunities.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: This report provides an interesting assessment of women's rights around the world, with a particular emphasis on how they are treated under the law. Unsurprisingly the UK is cited as providing a strong legal framework, and further progress that we have made is set out in many areas. We will continue to work with other countries to promote women's rights.

Schools: Audit

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the legal requirements for auditing school budgets in local authority schools.

Lord Nash: The Scheme for Financing Schools statutory guidance requires local authorities to set out the financial relationship between them and the schools they maintain. The scheme contains a provision which places schools within an internal audit regime determined by the authority, and the authority’s external audit regime.

Academies: Finance

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps an academy school is legally required to take if it has a budget deficit.

Lord Nash: An academy trust is required by its funding agreement with the Secretary of State to balance its budget from each academy financial year to the next. Where the board of trustees of an academy is formally proposing to set a deficit budget for the current financial year, which it is unable to address after unspent funds from previous years are taken into account, it must notify the Education Funding Agency (EFA) within 14 days.The EFA may issue a trust with a Financial Notice to Improve (FNtI) in cases of a deficit or projected deficit, setting out the actions it requires the trust to take. The trust must comply with all the terms of the FNtI which would include a requirement to implement a recovery plan to secure financial stability.

European Union: Education

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Article 2, section 1(b)(xiv) of EU Regulation 235/2014 and the Council of Europe Charter on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education, what action they have taken, and what action they plan to take, ahead of the EU Referendum to ensure that (1) active and engaging European and EU citizenship education is integrated into every primary and secondary school's curriculum, and (2) training for specialist citizenship teachers is included in initial teacher education, and in teachers' continuing professional development.

Lord Nash: Schools are aware of their duties regarding impartiality and treatment of political issues. Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 require maintained schools to prevent political indoctrination and secure the balanced treatment of political issues. The new national curriculum includes an improved programme of study for citizenship education at key stages 3 and 4, which is organised around core knowledge and democracy, government and how laws are made and upheld. Pupils are also taught about local, regional, and international governance, and about the United Kingdom’s relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations, and the wider world.The Government does not prescribe initial teacher training (ITT) content. However, all ITT courses must ensure that trainee teachers can meet the Teachers’ Standards. This sets clear expectations and defines the minimum level of practice expected of teachers in England. The standards require all teachers and trainees to have secure knowledge of relevant subject and curriculum areas and demonstrate a critical understanding of developments in them. Ofsted inspects the quality of ITT against the Teachers’ Standards and no trainee can be recommended for qualified teacher status (QTS) until they have met the Standards in full at the appropriate level. Schools and headteachers are best placed to determine which development activities will be most beneficial for their schools and we expect them to lead on the development of their teachers.

Politics: GCE A-level

Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the suffragettes and the feminist movement will remain part of the new Politics A-level syllabus.

Lord Nash: A public consultation on reformed content for politics AS and A level closed on 15 December. The proposed new content for politics A level will require all students to study core political theories. This is an improvement on the current system which does not require students to study any political ideologies, including feminism.We are analysing the responses to the consultation and have started work with the exam boards to develop the content in light of the views expressed. We will listen carefully to the views of the sector and the wider public as part of this full consultation process.

Politics: GCE A-level

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the reasons for removing the study of feminism and gender equality from the A-level Politics curriculum.

Lord Nash: A public consultation on reformed content for politics AS and A level closed on 15 December. The proposed new content for politics A level will require all students to study core political theories. This is an improvement on the current system which does not require students to study any political ideologies, including feminism.We are analysing the responses to the consultation and have started work with the exam boards to develop the content in light of the views expressed. We will listen carefully to the views of the sector and the wider public as part of this full consultation process.Exam boards will continue to set the detailed content of qualifications.

Secondary Education: Performance Standards

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, on the current definition of "coasting", what percentage of secondary schools with an average KS2 points score of (1) below 26, (2) 26–28, (3) 28–30, and (4) more than 30, would achieve the required benchmarks with regards to (a) 60 per cent of students achieving 5 GCSEs, including English and Maths, at A*–C grade, (b) expected progress in English, and (c) expected progress in maths, on their (i) 2014, and (ii) 2015, results.

Lord Nash: No school can be defined as coasting under the government’s proposed coasting definition until after the 2016 results are available. The definition of coasting is determined by performance over a three year period.

Secondary Education: Performance Standards

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, on the current definition of "coasting", what percentage of secondary schools with an average KS2 points score of (1) below 26, (2) 26–28, (3) 28–30, and (4) more than 30, would achieve the required benchmarks with regards to (a) achieving below 0 on progress, and (b) achieving below –0.5 on progress, on their (i) 2014, and (ii) 2015, results.

Lord Nash: No school can be defined as coasting under the government’s proposed coasting definition until after the 2016 results are available. The definition of coasting is determined by performance over a three year period.Progress 8 results for 2015 will be published as part of the key stage 4 performance tables in January 2016 for schools which chose to opt-in early. Progress 8 was not used as an accountability measure in 2014, and does not form part of the government’s proposed definition for coasting in that year.

Academies: Performance Standards

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the performance of sponsored academies compares to that of maintained schools when grouped by prior results at achieving five A*-C grade GCSEs, including English and Maths, broken down per decile, over (1) the last year, (2) the last two years, and (3) the last three years.

Lord Nash: The figures for overall achievement of 5 A*-C Grade GCSEs including English and maths are provided by school type from 2011 to 2015 (provisional results) in Table 24 in the main text of the department’s publication, “Provisional GCSE and equivalent results in England, 2014 to 2015”, as attached to this answer. We do not hold the information grouped by prior results and broken down into deciles.Interpreting trends in achievement in schools over time is complex with changes being driven by a wide range of influences and different circumstances that may exist between schools.



Pupils_Achieving_5_GCSEs_at_grades_A*-C
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Qualifications

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of GCSE and A-level exams that were changed after challenges this summer.

Lord Nash: This is a matter for the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) and I have asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the noble Baroness. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Lords Library.

Castes: Discrimination

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 1 December (HL3647), why they have not yet published the 2014 feasibility study on caste discrimination.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are currently considering the conclusions and recommendations of the caste feasibility study as part of our wider consideration of the implications of the Tirkey v Chandok tribunal judgments. As I said in my reply of 1 December, we will keep the House informed of further developments on this matter.

Equal Pay

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of why there has not been an improvement in the proportion of female high earners in the UK despite initiatives to reduce the gender pay gap.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: New figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that the gender pay gap in the UK remains the lowest on record.I am proud of our achievements, but recognise there is still more we must do. To help eliminate the gender pay gap within a generation, we are requiring larger employers to publish information about their gender pay gaps and bonuses. We are also working with business to support and promote Lord Davies’ target of 33% of women on boards in the FTSE 350 by 2020.The government is also introducing new regulations that will require larger employers to publish their gender pay gap information. This will encourage companies to take action and drive change on this important issue

Ministry of Justice

Alternatives to Prosecution: Greater London

Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress made by the Metropolitan Police in introducing out-of-court-disposal scrutiny panels for youth and adult crime across Greater London.

Lord Faulks: The Government has made no assessment of the progress made by the Metropolitan Police in establishing out of court disposal scrutiny panels. We are working with PCCs to ensure there are appropriate scrutiny arrangements in place.

Magistrates

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 14 December (HL4095), why the occupations of those appointed as lay magistrates are no longer recorded.

Lord Faulks: The information is no longer recorded because it does not form part of published statistics on the magistracy. Additionally, the enduring accuracy of the recorded information could not be guaranteed subsequent to appointment.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Press: Regulation

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been made of the success of the current system of press regulation in preventing children being named before being charged, following the identification before charges were brought of the child convicted of stabbing Vincent Uzomah and the child accused of fatally stabbing Bailey Gwynne.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is committed to a strong, independent and effective self-regulatory system for the press that commands the confidence of both the public and the industry.Following the Leveson Inquiry, and with cross-party agreement, Government has now delivered the framework for a new system of independent press self-regulation: the Royal Charter has been sealed and the Press Recognition Panel has been appointed, opening for business in September of this year. We must now give this new approach time to become established.

Broadcasting: Children

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) which UK terrestrial broadcasters produce annual original homemade content for children, and (2) how much those broadcasters spend annually on such content.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Ofcom’s 2015 report into the future of public service broadcasting included an assessment of the amount of UK originated Children’s television programming by the public service broadcasting channels.In 2014, the BBC spent £84 million on children's television programming. The combined spend of ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 was £3 million.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Altmann on 4 December (HL3783) that the Personal Independence Payment assessment criteria were "designed in close collaboration with disabled people and disability groups", whether they will now take into account the responses to the consultation held separately between 24 June and 5 August 2013 on the moving around criteria.

Baroness Altmann: The full public consultation on the ‘Moving around’ activity of the mobility component closed on 5 August 2013. We received more than 1,100 responses. We carefully considered all the responses received, including the suggestions for alternative approaches. We published our response to the consultation on 21 October 2013.We believe the assessment criteria, including the 20 metres distance, are the best way of identifying those whose physical mobility is most limited, so we did not make any changes. However, we have strengthened the measures around the reliability criteria – we recognise these are a key protection for claimants.Our response to the consultation is annexed to this answer.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Flood Control: Finance

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 3 December (HL Deb, col 1205), how much of the estimated £600 million "additional partnership funding" has been received from private sources; and from which sources.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Six months into a six-year programme, £250 million has been secured. A further £350 million of potential contributions has been identified. Of the £250 million secured to date, £61 million comes directly from private sources.

Marine Protected Areas

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the debate on the North Sea on 30 November (HL Deb, cols 1002–1024), whether they will provide definitions of the different types of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the UK's coastal waters, the locations of those MPAs, of each type; and where new MPAs are to be introduced, to which type those belong.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Marine Protected Area (MPA) network is made up of different types of designations, made under national law, EU directives and international agreements. As designation of MPAs is a devolved matter, Defra is responsible for designations in Secretary of State waters only, which are, English inshore and offshore waters, Northern Irish offshore waters, and Welsh Offshore waters, with responsibility for conservation in the latter proposed to be devolved to the Welsh Government in the Wales Bill. In these waters, the MPA network is made up the following types of sites.Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs), which are designated under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. They protect marine habitats and species that are either typical of the life in our seas, or are rare or vulnerable.Two types of MPA can be designated under European legislation: Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), which protect habitats listed in Annex I and species listed in Annex II of the Habitats directive (92/43/EEC); and Special Protection Areas (SPAs), which protect birds listed in Annex I of the Wild Birds directive (2009/147/EC) and migratory species.Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which are designated under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. These sites can be designated for either biological or geological interest.Ramsar sites, which are wetlands of international importance, designated under the Ramsar Convention. This includes marine areas with a water depth at low tide of less than six metres. Ramsar sites are generally also underpinned by designation as SSSIs.Together, these sites contribute to the Blue Belt, a network of sites around the coasts of the UK, which forms our contribution to an ecologically coherent network of MPAs in the North East Atlantic.We have already made good progress in designating a network of sites in the Blue Belt. Over 16% of UK waters and almost a quarter of English inshore waters are now within MPAs.Based on current evidence the SAC network contribution for habitats can be considered complete. UK governments are considering advice on SACs for harbour porpoise, although no decision with regard to consultation has yet been taken.Defra and the devolved administrations in the UK plan to complete the identification of SPAs for birds in the UK marine area during 2016.Defra is seeking to fill the remaining gaps in the Blue Belt through two more tranches of MCZs. Details of this will be announced shortly. A map showing the existing network of MPAs in the waters for which the Secretary of State is responsible is attached.



MPA Network - Designated MCZs
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Agriculture: Subsidies

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 November (HL3653), whether they will require all EU advertising notices to include information about the ratio of UK contributions to the EU budget and sums returned by way of grants.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The government has no plans to require all EU advertising notices for Structural and Investment Funds to include information about the ratio of UK contributions to the EU budget and sums returned by way of grants. However we will seek to remove the requirement to display notices in future reforms of the CAP.

Floods: Warnings

Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider distributing hand-held devices to households in flood-prone areas to allow them to transmit information, and to receive real-time news, about local water levels.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: There are currently no plans to consider such devices. However, we do already urge households to take care and be prepared by checking their flood risk, signing up to free flood warnings and keeping an eye on the latest flood updates, which are available on the Environment Agency website and Twitter. These are readily accessible from personal mobile phones with internet access. People can also call our 24-hour Floodline for updates.

Floods

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many homeowners and businesses have received a grant from the Repair and Renew Grant fund, and what is the average payment.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Over 6,000 home and business owners have benefitted from the Repair and Renew Grant scheme to help protect their property against future flooding events. The average payment was £3,918.

Floods: Agriculture

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the size of the Farming Recovery Fund, and how much has been paid to farmers to date.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Farmers affected by the recent flooding in Northern England will be able to apply for between £500 and £20,000 to cover the cost of work to restore damaged agricultural land.The scheme is due to open for applications on 18 December and we will pay out on all eligible claims.

Climate Change

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent flooding in the UK, the slowing of the Gulf Stream, and the COP21 climate talks in Paris, what strategy they have to address increasingly extreme weather patterns affecting the UK’s climate.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Climate Change Act 2008 requires Government to identify, every five years, the risks from a changing climate, including from extreme weather, and to put in place programmes to address them.The first Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) was published in 2012 and identified over 100 risks to the UK, up to the 2100s. Work is well underway on the second CCRA, which will be published in January 2017. The first National Adaptation Programme, which laid out how risks identified in the CCRA are being addressed, was published in 2013, and the second will be produced around 2018.In the biennial National Risk Assessment (NRA), the Government assesses the most significant hazards and threats that could affect the UK over the next five years. It considers natural events such as extreme weather and their resulting impacts (for example, flooding, severe storms and gales, low temperatures and heavy snow, heatwaves, drought). The NRA informs the National Resilience Planning Assumptions which support response and recovery planning at both local and national levels.The Government also works with the owners and operators of the UK’s most critical infrastructure to produce annual Sector Resilience Plans (SRPs), which set out the resilience of the UK’s most important infrastructure to the relevant risks identified in the NRA. Plans identify potential vulnerabilities and set out a programme of measures to improve resilience where necessary.

Agriculture: Land

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next intend to revise or update the Agricultural Land Classification Survey guidelines.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government currently has no plan to revise or update the Agricultural Land Classification Survey guidelines, but will keep their suitability under review.

Home Office

Visas: Overseas Students

Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they use in auditing compliance with Tier 4 licences for non-EU students.

Lord Bates: All Tier 4 licensed sponsors are assessed against criteria set out in the published Tier 4 Guidance for Sponsors. This includes the following four documents:Document one – Applying for a Tier 4 licenceDocument two – Sponsorship DutiesDocument three – Tier 4 ComplianceAppendix D - record keepingSome of the key criteria includes:Ensuring that each sponsor has a genuine and lawful trading presence.Ensuring that each sponsor holds the appropriate education oversight with the relevant external inspection body.Compliance visits; where checks are undertaken to establish whether an institution’s HR functions are appropriate.An annual basic compliance assessment (BCA); where the sponsor must meet demonstrate that their visa refusal, enrolment and course completion rates fall within the outlined requisites.



Tier 4 Guidance - 1-3 Combined 
(PDF Document, 1.08 MB)




Appendix D 
(PDF Document, 232.31 KB)

Forensic Science: Languages

Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 17 November (HL3221) concerning the use of forensic linguistics by the Home Office in immigration cases, whether they have plans to enable the admittance in court, as in some other European jurisdictions, of evidence derived from forensic linguistics, and if not, what are their reasons.

Lord Bates: Evidence derived from language analysis undertaken for immigration purposes is admissible and, in practice, is routinely presented in immigration appeals.

Counter-terrorism

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, as part of their counter-terrorism strategy, they will encourage a national debate about the nature of Islam, including whether the Muslim tenets of Al Hijra, Taqiya, and Abrogation remain valid today.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 19 October, the Prime Minister announced the launch of the Government’s new comprehensive Counter Extremism Strategy, a core element of which is a programme of work to support those communities who are opposed to extremism in all its forms.It is only by building a stronger Britain together, across all communities, that we will win the fight against terrorists and extremists.

Religious Hatred: Islam

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Earl Howe on 2 December (HL Deb, col 1193), what actions will be criminalised from next April under the specific offence of anti-Muslim hatred, and whether the actions criminalised under that offence will include (1) criticism of the Muslim religion, and (2) statements from people who have left that religion explaining why they have done so.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Prime Minister announced in October, we have asked the police to record all existing religious based hate crimes by the faith or belief (including absence of belief) of the victim from April next year.Under existing hate crimes it is not an offence to criticise Islam or for those who have left the faith to explain why they have done so. The new recording system does not constitute a new offence of anti-Muslim hatred, but will require this to be recorded specifically.

Palestinians: Syria

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Palestinian refugees who were, or still are, in Syria are eligible for resettlement as being among the most vulnerable.

Lord Bates: Only United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) registered Syrian refugees are eligible under the Syrian Resettlement Scheme, which has been expanded to resettle up to 20,000 during this Parliament. We work closely with UNHCR to identify cases that it deems in need of resettlement according to agreed vulnerability criteria for the Syrian Resettlement Scheme.The Syrian Resettlement Scheme is operated in addition to our global resettlement schemes: Gateway and Mandate, which are not nationality specific.

Asylum: Health Services

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what NHS medical support is available for (1) asylum seekers, and (2) refugees.

Lord Bates: Only those asylum seekers (and their dependants) who receive asylum support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are entitled to access NHS medical services. They are able to access free NHS prescriptions, free dental treatment, free eye sight tests, help with the cost of glasses or contact lenses, free wigs and fabric supports and help with the cost of travel to receive treatment under the care of a consultant.The Home Office takes all reasonable steps to ensure the health and welfare of asylum seekers who receive asylum support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. At the inception of their claim, they are provided with an opportunity to undergo assessment by health officials and suitable steps are taken to provide them with access to appropriate medical treatment, this includes advice on how to register with a GP practice and how to access emergency treatment at a hospital or walk in centre.Those qualifying asylum seekers, as outlined above, are provided with a HC2 certificate which confirms to medical practitioners that they are eligible to access appropriate medical services.Refugees who have been granted asylum status are eligible for services from the National Health Service on the same basis as the general population.

Police: Cross Border Cooperation

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect the UK's opting out of the Prüm Decision has had on solving crime.

Lord Bates: The Government opted out of the Prüm decisions in December 2014 because we were not then in a position to implement it and could have been subject to substantial fines from the European Court of Justice for our non-implementation had we stayed in. On 26 November the Government issued Command Paper 9149 which recommended rejoining Prüm and set out a clear timeframe for implementation.

Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that torture survivors who reach the UK, in particular those from Syria, have access to specialist rehabilitation; and whether they have plans to increase the number of places available via the Gateway Protection Programme for torture survivors from all states.

Lord Bates: Asylum seekers and refugees have access to health services and if they raise torture as part of their asylum claim, they are signposted to organisations that specialise in providing support for torture survivors.We have no current plans to increase the number of places available under the Gateway Protection programme. The responsibility for identifying and referring refugees to the UK rests with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. We will continue to work closely with them to identify those in most need of protection.

Immigration: Married People

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many overseas wives have joined their families in the UK between January 2014 and December 2015.

Lord Bates: From January 2014 to September 2015 there were 35,990* spousal visas issued to females. We are not able to provide figures from October to December 2015 as visa figures for this period have not yet been published.*Figure rounded to the nearest 5.

Refugees

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 8 December (HL4152), how many refugees have applied for family reunion in Britain (1) from France, and (2) from other countries, since 1 January 2013; and how much of the funding provided by the UK under the Joint Declaration of 20 August has so far been (1) spent, and (2) committed to be spent.

Lord Bates: For the period January 2013 to September 2015, internal management information (not quality assured to National Statistics standards) indicates there were 11 entry clearance visa family reunion applications made from France and 17,292 from other countries.Under the Joint Declaration of 20 August 2015, the UK has committed to providing €5 million (£3.6 million) per year for two years to help manage the migrant population in Calais by providing support and facilities elsewhere in France, the first of these two payments is currently being processed. This is in addition to €750,000 (£530,000) which has been paid to fund a project to identify and protect vulnerable people in the camps in Calais.

Immigrants: Detainees

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are detained in each Immigration Detention Centre.

Lord Bates: The table below provides the latest published information for people detained in the detention estate by centre as at 30 September 2015, the latest date for which published figures are available.People in detention as at 30 September 2015, by place of detention.Total 3,531Brook House IRC414Campsfield House IRC277Colnbrook IRC342Dover IRC249Dungavel IRC202Harmondsworth IRC601Morton Hall IRC386The Verne IRC509Tinsley House IRC112Yarl's Wood IRC386Colnbrook STHF21Larne House STHF6Pennine House STHF26Cedars PDA0IRC = Immigration Removal Centre, STHF = Short Term Holding Facility, PDA = Pre Departure Accommodation.The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people detained in the United Kingdom for immigration purposes, within the Immigration Statistics release. Data relating to people in detention are available in tables dt_01 to dt_13_q in Immigration Statistics: July – September 2015 on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.Published figures on people detained in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers include those held in short term holding facilities, pre departure accommodation and immigration removal centres. Figures exclude those held in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24 hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants.

Deportation: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people who entered the UK as unaccompanied immigrant children were deported last year having reached the age of 18.

Lord Bates: The records the Home Office holds relate to unaccompanied asylum seeking children. The most recent records the Home Office holds are to the end of September 2015.PeriodNumber of CasesEnforced RemovalVoluntary RemovalOct 2014 - Sep 2015241122119This data relates to individuals who were under 18 at the time of application and aged 18 or over on the day of removal.

Asylum: Young People

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provision is made to enable young asylum seekers to have legal support and advice on reaching the age of 18.

Lord Bates: Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are placed into the care of local authorities and are provided with specialised legal advice and support. If they have an outstanding asylum claim on reaching the age of 18, legal advice will continue to be provided and their social worker will help them to access that support.

HM Treasury

Welfare Tax Credits

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisions the contract with Concentrix regarding child tax credits and other benefits makes concerning the time within which decisions must be made about the eligibility for such benefits once they have been withdrawn, and what assessment they have made of how the company has performed against any such requirements in respect of the number of cases in which that period has been exceeded.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) contract with SYNNEX-Concentrix UK Limited, signed in May 2014, provides additional capacity to review and correct tax credit claims that are potentially based on incorrect information.Full details of the contractual arrangements, including agreed performance indicators put in place in respect of the intervention service, can be found on gov.uk.HMRC regularly monitors the performance of contractors but, due to the commercially sensitive nature of this information, it does not disclose such information.

Taxation: Self-employed

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to support self-employed people who are confused over their tax status or struggle to understand the tax system.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) provides business with detailed guidance and an online Employment Status Indicator to check whether they are employed or self-employed for tax, National Insurance or VAT purposes. This is available on the gov.uk website.HMRC is working with stakeholders to improve the online tool. Customers needing further support can call the Helpline on 03001232326.

Bank Services: Non-governmental Organisations

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have given to banks concerning closing bank accounts of those NGOs supporting the Palestinians.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The Government does not advise banks around the closure of bank accounts of NGOs: it is for a bank itself to decide whether or not to offer products or services to certain individuals or groups, and it would not be appropriate for the Government to seek to control the commercial decisions of banks and other financial institutions, nor compel them to make a specific decision about a bank account. Banks take such decisions taken in accordance with their business strategies, risk appetite and legal and regulatory requirements.

Northern Ireland Office

European Convention on Human Rights: Northern Ireland

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Faulks on 4 December (HL3813), what is their assessment of whether they have the power under section 24 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to give direction to the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland to secure their compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights; and whether the Secretary of State has considered exercising any such power to secure full compliance in Northern Ireland with its obligations under the Convention in relation to equal marriage, blasphemy and defamation.

Lord Dunlop: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland does not have the power under section 24 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 to give direction to the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland to secure their compliance with the European Convention on Human Rights.The UK Government recognises and respects the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland and in any event does not have power under section 24 to secure full compliance in Northern Ireland with its obligations under the Convention in relation to equal marriage, blasphemy and defamation.

Department of Health

Drugs: Rehabilitation

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of people in England entering treatment for drug misuse have left treatment drug-free in each year since 2010.

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reductions in funding to local public health budgets on the outcomes achieved by drug treatment services.

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to identifying drug treatment outcomes that may indicate progress towards patient recovery.

Lord Prior of Brampton: A table which shows trend data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System for individuals completing treatment free of dependence for the years 2009-10 to 2014-15 is attached.For the first time in 2014-15, the annual report brought together information on people receiving specialist interventions for drugs and alcohol. Many people experience problems with both substances and receive interventions for both, and drugs and alcohol services are often commissioned together. The figures therefore include the substance group ‘non-opiate and alcohol’, as well as those seeking services for drug-only related dependency, to ensure all individuals leaving treatment drug-free are captured. This new methodology has been applied to the years prior to 2014-15 to ensure comparable figures.We have provided both the total numbers leaving treatment successfully free of dependence as well as the numbers that left successfully not using drugs or alcohol at the time of exit (which is a subset of the larger number), as some individuals may, for example, be occasionally drinking when they are discharged but it will have been judged by a clinician to be non-problematic and not dependent use and that therefore they no longer require treatment.Public Health England will continue to support local authorities to provide effective and efficient drug treatment services, by providing bespoke data to assist the joint strategic needs assessment and to show the effectiveness of the local treatment system, as well as value for money tools, topical briefings, advice on good practice and on the benefits of investing in alcohol and drug treatment. Across the country, councils have already begun to develop new ways to deliver public health, showing that it is possible to deliver better health for local people and also better value for the taxpayer.The evidence-base for the effectiveness of drug treatment is robust, with United Kingdom and international evidence showing that treatment provides value for money, improves public health and reduces crime.The Building Recovery strand of the Government’s Drug Strategy recognises the importance of non-medical interventions, such as recovery networks, employment, housing, family support and reduced re-offending, in helping people recover and to participate more fully in society. Every person in structured drug treatment has a personal care plan based on an assessment of their needs, which maps out the steps they will take towards recovery. It covers their drug use, health, social functioning, criminal involvement, housing, employment and any other barrier to recovery.



Table
(Word Document, 26.08 KB)

Pregnant Women: Nutrition

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further steps they plan to take to improve the diet of pregnant women and new mothers.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Parents receive health and lifestyle advice, including advice on diet, weight control and physical activity, from their health visitor as part of the Healthy Child Programme.For parents, the Government provides online advice on maternal nutrition via the NHS Choices website and the Start4Life website.The Your Pregnancy and Baby guide on NHS Choices includes information about a healthy diet in pregnancy. Start4Life produce a range of information booklets with advice for parents, including Healthy Habits for Baby and You which provides information and advice on eating healthily and exercise in pregnancy.The Government’s statutory Healthy Start scheme aims to provide a nutritional safety net to the most nutritionally vulnerable pregnant women, new mothers and children under four years old in low income families. The scheme provides vouchers for basic healthy foods (milk, fresh and frozen fruit and vegetables) and infant formula milk. This encourages healthy eating the scheme covers approximately half a million pregnant women, new mothers, and children under four years old in low income families throughout the United Kingdom.We currently have no plans to extend the current dietary advice given to pregnant women and new mothers.

Pregnant Women: Nutrition

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications of a poor maternal diet in pregnancy for the life chances of babies, in the light of research conducted in the last decade.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The most recent assessment of the influence of poor maternal diet on later health consequences, including the risk of chronic disease in adulthood, was carried out for government by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) in 2011.Taking into account the international evidence base and the findings from the United Kingdom National Diet and Nutrition Surveys showing that women of childbearing age are not meeting dietary recommendations, SACN concluded that there is cause for concern. It advised that improving the nutritional status of women of childbearing age, infants and young children, has the potential to improve the health of future generations.Current dietary advice to women of reproductive age, those planning a pregnancy and those who are pregnant, is promoted via the NHS Choices website as well as the government’s social marketing campaigns, such as Start4Life.

NHS England

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 9 December (HL4036), what assessment they have made of whether it is appropriate for the Chief Executive of NHS England to take part in a political debate programme, and of whether doing so is consistent with the requirement for senior public servants to remain politically neutral; and whether they plan to issue new guidance to NHS England on the basis of that assessment.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Chief Executive of NHS England, Simon Stevens, is not a civil servant and it is for him to take decisions on invitations received. There are no plans to issue guidance to NHS England.

East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust’s decision to list Down’s syndrome as a reason to issue a Do Not Resuscitate order to a patient.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any disciplinary action is being taken against the doctors at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate who listed Down’s syndrome and learning difficulties among the reasons for issuing a Do Not Resuscitate order.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust regarding the use of Do Not Resuscitate orders for patients with disabilities.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department expects National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts to have in place local policies on resuscitation that are based on expert professional guidance. We have commended, as a basis for local policies, professional guidance, Decisions Relating to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (2014), published jointly by the British Medical Association, the Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing. The guidance is clear that any resuscitation decision must be tailored to the individual circumstances of the patient and must not be made on the basis of blanket assumptions. A copy of the guidance is attached.Where a person lacks capacity to make decisions about their care or treatment, the Mental Capacity Act makes clear that doctors must act in the best interests of patients. Doctors must take account as far as possible of the known wishes of the person and consult with relatives and colleagues as appropriate to help inform their decision.Departmental officials have recently contacted the Trust about recent media coverage concerning an incident when Down’s syndrome was listed as a reason to issue a Do Not Resuscitate order. The Trust confirms it accepts that it failed to consult with the family and has apologised unreservedly for this isolated incident by a junior doctor.In regards to any disciplinary action taken against the doctor this would be an operational issue for the Foundation Trust. We have written to Ms Nikki Cole, Chair of East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust informing her of the Noble Lord’s enquiry. She will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.



Decisions Relating to CPR
(PDF Document, 601.78 KB)

Fertility: Males

Baroness Corston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research has been, or is being, conducted into whether there is a causal link between the use of growth-promoting oestrogens in poultry production and declining levels of male fertility in humans.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department has not funded, and is not currently funding research on this specific topic.

Social Services: Finance

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 10 December (HL3975), what was the increase in demand they assumed and modelled for social care year on year for each year between 2015 and 2020.

Lord Prior of Brampton: To model the increased demographic demand on state funded adult social care the Department commissioned modelling from the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU). PSSRU’s analysis is currently in the process of being peer reviewed prior to publication.

Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients: Death

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will introduce a new independent system for investigating the deaths of persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, as requested by the Care Quality Commission.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Every unexpected death of a patient in a mental health hospital is a matter of concern. In March 2015 NHS England issued their Serious Incident Framework. This gives guidance on good practice in responding to patient deaths, including those of people detained under the Mental Health Act 1983. This includes guidance on the circumstances in which National Health Service organisations should set up an independent investigation, in addition to the Coroner’s inquest. A copy of the Framework is attached.



Serious Incident Framework
(PDF Document, 4.15 MB)

Fluoride: Drinking Water

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their view on the merits of reducing the concentration of fluoride in water supplies subject to fluoridation schemes from 1.0 to around 0.7 part per million, in the light of the experience of countries such as Canada, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Public Health England advise that there is no current evidence from monitoring data to support a variation of the target level for fluoride in drinking water.

Diabetes: Chiropody

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 26 November (HL3958), what plans they have to ensure that podiatric services are available to diabetics who need them; and what criteria they are recommending that Clinical Commissioning Groups use to differentiate between those diabetics who will continue to require podiatric services and those who will not.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Podiatry services are commissioned locally by clinical commissioning groups working with local partners and based on the need of the local population, resources available and evidence based practice. Treatment decisions should always be made by doctors based on a patient’s individual clinical needs.Preventing diabetes and promoting the best possible care for people with diabetes is a key priority for this Government and is part of the 2016/17 Mandate to NHS England. Building on the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, the Department of Health and NHS England are exploring options for ensuring a sustained focus on improving the management and care of people with diabetes.The new National Diabetes Foot Care Audit, a module of the National Diabetes Audit, aims to establish the extent to which national guidelines on the management of diabetic foot disease are being met. The audit will provide local teams with the evidence needed to tackle any identified differences in practice which will lead to an overall improvement in management and outcomes for patients. Local and national level results will be available in March 2016. However, we do know that there has been an increase in the proportion of Trusts with multidisciplinary diabetic foot care teams, from around 60% in 2011 to over 70% in 2013.

Health Services: Older People

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the NHS Strategic Projects Team is to be held to account for the advice it gave to the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group, and to the NHS Commissioning Board, on the contract for older people's services in Cambridge and Peterborough.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to establish an independent external assessment of the reasons for the failure of the contract for older people's services in Cambridge and Peterborough; and what plans they have for a moratorium on further large-scale procurements until lessons from that contract have been learnt.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England advises that it will be commissioning an investigation into the circumstances leading up to the termination of the contract between Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group and UnitingCare Partnership LLP to deliver urgent care for the over 65s and adult community services. This will include the role of the Strategic Projects Team. NHS England is also considering how similar contracts will be managed and assured in the future.

care.data Advisory Group

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current membership of the care.data Advisory Group.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The care.data Advisory Group met between March 2014 and October 2015 and has now been disbanded. The group was Chaired by Ciarán Devane, who at the time was a non-executive director of NHS England, and included representatives from the following organisations:- Academy of Medical Royal Colleges;- Association of Medical Research Charities;- Big Brother Watch;- British Heart Foundation;- British Medical Association;- HealthWatch England;- Hurley Group;- Kings College London;- Kings Fund;- medConfidential;- MIND;- National Institute for Health Research;- National Voices;- Patients4Data;- Royal College of General Practitioners;- Royal College of Psychiatrists;- Clinical Commissioning Groups;- UCL Partners; and- Wellcome Trust.

Hospitals

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which hospitals (1) the Prime Minister, (2) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and (3) the Secretary of State for Health, have visited in an official capacity over the last 12 months, and what was the date of each such visit.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Prime Minister regularly visits hospitals and health centres and meets with medical professionals. Details of all the United Kingdom official visits which have been made by the Prime Minister are published quarterly. His UK official visits between 1 January 2015 and 31 March 2015 are attached can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/prime-minister-official-visits-july-2014-to-march-2015Details of all the official UK visits which have been made by Chancellor of the Exchequer are published quarterly. His official visits between 1 January 2015 and 31 March 2015 are attached and can be found at:www.gov.uk/government/publications/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel-1-january-to-31-march-2015The Secretary of State for Health has undertaken the following visits to hospitals in an official capacity since January 2015:15 January 2015: Luton and Dunstable University Hospital29 January 2015: Queen Elizabeth Hospital King's Lynn NHS Foundation Trust5 February 2015: Colchester Hospital5 February 2015: Queen's Hospital, Barking, Havering and Redbridge12 February 2015: Hereford County Hospital27 February 2015: Buccleuch Lodge - University Hospitals of South Manchester Trust6 March 2015: Princess Alexandra Hospital6 March 2015: Lister Hospital20 March 2015: Dover Hospital12 June 2015: Papworth Hospital26 June 2015: Tameside Hospital17 July 2015: National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery- University College London Hospital NHS Foundation Trust23 July 2015: Royal Free Hospital23 July 2015: Whipps Cross Hospital30 July 2015: Royal London Hospital9 September 2015: St Thomas Hospital12 November 2015: Guy's and St Thomas Hospital7 December 2015: Wrightington Hospital9 December 2015: University College London Hospital15 December 2015: Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children



PM Visits
(Excel SpreadSheet, 10.98 KB)




HMT Minister's Visits
(PDF Document, 787.04 KB)

Action on Smoking and Health

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 8 December (HL3846), how much grant the Department of Health will provide to Action on Smoking and Health in the current financial year, and whether they will place a copy of any grant application and award letter in the Library of the House.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department will provide a grant of £150,000 to Action on Smoking and Health in the 2015/16 financial year. This grant is awarded under Section 64 of the Health and Social Care Act 1968.A copy of the signed award letter, including the detailed deliverables of the grant, has been attached.



ASH Reward Letter
(PDF Document, 412.51 KB)

Action on Smoking and Health

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions between 2013 and 2015 the Department of Health received representations from Action on Smoking and Health regarding the standardised packaging of tobacco products.

Lord Prior of Brampton: To identify what representations the Department has received about standardised packaging between 2013 and 2015 would require extensive searching of Departmental records to identify which representations were relevant and would result in disproportionate cost.

Action on Smoking and Health

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many items of correspondence the Department of Health has received from (1) the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health, and (2) the Chair of the House of Commons Health Select Committee, in each of the last five years that originated from a postal or email address belonging to the group Action on Smoking and Health.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department of Health’s central correspondence database recorded 90 items of correspondence from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health received in the last five years that originated from a postal or email address belonging to the group Action on Smoking and Health.There was no record of any such correspondence having being received from the Chair of the House of Commons Health Select Committee in this period.

Social Services: Finance

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what amount they plan to make available to local authorities to add to the Better Care Fund in each year from 2016–17 to 2019–20 inclusive, in the light of the commitment to make £1.5 billion available by 2019–20 set out in paragraph 2.124 of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The annual breakdown of the £1.5 billion that will be made available to local authorities by 2019-20 to add to the Better Care Fund, as announced by the Chancellor in the 2015 Spending Review, has not yet been finalised. More detailed figures will be announced in due course.

Doctors

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many NHS doctors qualified in each of the last 10 years, broken down by gender.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department does not collect the data requested.The General Medical Council, as the independent regulator of doctors in the United Kingdom, will hold information on doctors currently registered with them which may include their gender and what year they qualified.

Doctors

Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many doctors currently employed by the NHS qualified outside the UK.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The latest data on the number of doctors who qualified outside the United Kingdom is in the following table. This is taken from the Health and Social Care Information Centre’s annual workforce census, which shows the data as at 30 September 2014. The next census will be published in March 2016.Headcount Data at 30 September 2014Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) DrsGeneral Practitioners (GP)(excluding registrars and retainers)GP registrarsQualified in the UK70,47027,8073,585Qualified in other European Economic Area (EEA) Country8,3071,600124Qualified outside EEA27,3986,403803Unknown46390Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre annual workforce censusNotes: The figures for HCHS doctors includes doctors in training

Social Services

Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to increase the number of Wellbeing Hubs nationally to help individuals with complex care requirements to access support locally for their individual requirements.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Where commissioned, wellbeing hubs can provide a range services including lifestyle advice, information about self-management courses and help to access local support, including social care. It is for the local National Health Service to decide whether to commission wellbeing hubs and which services should be offered in order to best meet the needs of local populations.